Her Christmas Prince (Love in the Keys) by Caroline A. Godin

corn were done to perfection on the
grill. They ate in silence, enjoying the food and the sunset. And
each other. Though the conversation was minimal, their connection
was as palpable as the banana wind.

    “ Thank
you for a delicious dinner. It's a real treat not to cook. And much
more fun eating with someone.” Callie smiled at Henry,
appreciatively.

    “ Delighted
you could join me. Truth be told, I don't cook much and I quite
enjoy it. And grilling isn't really cooking, is it? Speaking of
which, I'm afraid I don't have any dessert to offer. I couldn't
think of one to make on the grill.”

    “ Well,
good thing I know a thing or two about dessert, then, isn't it?” Callie reached into her
bag and produced a metal tin covered in holly and ivy and handed it
to Henry. His eyes lit up. Men and their cookies. “Think you
can manage some coffee to go with those?”

    “ Absolutely!
You are a superstar. I can't wait to see what's in that tin.
Coffee's coming right up.” Henry went below deck and came back
shortly with two steaming cups. He'd barely sat down when he opened
the tin and began sampling. He'd eaten three cookies before he
realized he hadn't offered Callie one yet. Where were his manners?
His mouth was full, so he proffered the tin to her.

    “ No,
thanks, I'm good. But I'm glad to see you enjoying them. That's one
of the things I love about baking, it makes people happy. I feel
good about that.”
    Henry
smiled. “Well, it's certainly making me happy. These are
outrageously good. Thank you, so much.” He ate one more
cookie, then purposefully put the lid back on the tin.

    Callie
picked up her back and looked at her watch. “It's bedtime for
me, I'm afraid. I should go. I'm opening tomorrow.”

    “ I
was wondering if you were open, it being Christmas E ve
and all.”

    “ Just
a half day. W e'll
close at one, so Erin has a chance to get to her family stuff. And
it's pretty dead the last half of the day, anyway. P eople
have places to be.”

    “ And
where will you be, the rest of the day?” Henry hoped that
whatever on his agenda might include him.

    “ Well,
I have a few errands and things to get done. But then I was going to
head to Key West to check out the lights and to see the lighted boat
parade. It's sort of a tradition. Would you like to come with me?”
He would, but Key West was a bit riskier than Sunnyside. More
chance of being recognized.

    Callie
took his pause as a rejection. “It's fine if you have other plans, don't worry about it. I just thought you
might like seeing Key West.”

    Henry
took her hands in his and looked in her eyes. “Callie, yes,
I'd love to come. I'd like nothing better.” He leaned in and
kissed her, a full and proper kiss. When he released her mouth, she
felt like she was floating. He was some kisser, she'd give him that.
He leaned down again, kissed her forehead, and then released one
hand and lead her down to the marina. He walked her all the way to her car and as he'd done before, settled her in and wished her sweet
dreams before waving her off.

    The
night's events had been captured by Jimmy the paparazzo, who went
back to his hotel to check out the footage and to figure out his
strategy. It seemed Prince Henry had a girlfriend. And it looked
serious.

    CHAPTER
TEN

    December
24 th ,
Christmas Eve

    Jimmy
had been up all night, checking out the shots he had of Prince Henry
and the girl. This was a first for him. He'd been waiting his
whole career as a photographer for an exclusive sale. And as far as
he could tell, he was the only person who was on to this story.

    He
had literally hundreds of shots. Prince Henry and the girl in her
car. In his car. At a local church. Having lemonade on the church
lawn. Talking to people who he thought might be her parents. And the
minister. Spending the day at the beach. And having dinner on a
boat. It would make an amazing pictorial.

    But
his gut told him if he waited a few more days, got some more shots,
and did a